W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty

Hyperion, 01/25/00 12:00 AM. Hardcover. Very Good. 6x1x9. 0786866306 Amazon Review The premise of Elizabeth Mitchell's W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty is that if you want to understand George W. Bush, you must look at his parents--especially his father. So, it makes sense that Mitchell's book is as much about former President Bush as it is about his son. Mitchell, a former executive editor of George magazine, clearly believes that pleasing his father has been the driving force in George W.'s life, leading him to follow in his father's footsteps almost stride for stride--to Andover, Yale, the oil business, politics, and a run for the presidency. An Andover friend of George W. told Mitchell that he has been resolutely trying "to live up to his father's achievements" his entire life. And that hasn't always proved easy, particularly in school, where George W. excelled in social pursuits rather than academics. "It's the first son syndrome," Mitchell quotes another friend. "You want to live up to the very high expectations set by your father, but at the same time you want to go your own way, so you end up going kicking and screaming down the exact path your father made." His mother, Barbara, even said in an interview that George W. and Jeb's decisions to enter politics "sort of vindicates our life," touching on a recurring theme in the book. "George W. would love to avenge his father's defeat," Mitchell writes. "To some, his political interest seemed ignited less by passion for the issues than by revenge." Full of rich detail and telling anecdotes, W is an important look at a dynasty in waiting. --Linda Killian From Publishers Weekly The clever title suggests a more sensationalistic perspective than Mitchell, a veteran journalist, actually provides, but it does capture a central theme--that for Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush, politics is more personal than partisan. A pragmatic conservative, the younger Bush is not strongly motivated by party affiliation, ideology or policy, but he is driven to avenge past slights aimed at--and the reelection defeat of--his father, George H.W. Bush. Mitchell highlights the power of this element in George W.'s life by writing what is essentially a dual biography structured around father-son parallels and emphasizing the formative years of each man's life. To say George W. followed in his father's footsteps is an understatement; through educational, military, business and then political experiences, there are amazing parallels. Tragedy seems to be lurking at the edge of the narrative, however, for George W. never quite measures up to his father's performance until the critical epiphany occurs as he contemplates running for governor of Texas: "George W. probably realized that he might not be as good as his father at baseball, academics, or the oil business, but he was a better politician--the thing George Bush cared about most." Whether he ends up as a more successful politician is yet to be determined, and we are given little basis for judgment by the remarkably scant treatment (one chapter out of 15) of George W.'s tenure as governor. Nevertheless, anyone seeking insight into George W. before his final chapter is written will find much to ponder in Mitchell's presentation. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.